Brake Problems?

J

Jameswnh

Guest
Well, I have a problem that has me a little confused. I think I know what's going on, but something doesn't really add up.

I have an '07 Explorer Sport Trac. Had it since new, and no issues for almost 80k miles. Now though, I think I either have a brake problem, or possibly a wheel bearing problem. I'm starting to feel a pulsation when I get on the brakes. At first I thought it was just normal feedback from the ABS system, but now it's far too severe for that to be the case, and I don't have to stop particularly hard to feel it.

So given what I was feeling, and that brake issues are not uncommon for these trucks, I was almost certain I had warped rotors. But here's what has me a little skeptical. It only happens after I've been driving a while, and now I think I sometimes feel a faint vibration/wobbling sensation in the wheels when I'm not on the brakes. That leads me to believe it could possibly be a wheel bearing instead, but would it be normal to feel it during braking before there are any other symptoms? I'll pull the wheels off tomorrow and have a look, and maybe see if I can get my hands on a dial indicator to do a really good inspection of the rotors.

Any other ideas? I just don't want it to be a more serious suspension issue. It's pothole season around here, and I haven't really been on top of my game when it comes to dodging them. I don't like to mess around with suspension issues. The worst accident I ever had was when a tie rod failed and sent me off into the woods at 50 mph, and to this day I get paranoid about every bump and sound coming from underneath.
 
Jameswnh said:
Well, I have a problem that has me a little confused. I think I know what's going on, but something doesn't really add up.

I have an '07 Explorer Sport Trac. Had it since new, and no issues for almost 80k miles. Now though, I think I either have a brake problem, or possibly a wheel bearing problem. I'm starting to feel a pulsation when I get on the brakes. At first I thought it was just normal feedback from the ABS system, but now it's far too severe for that to be the case, and I don't have to stop particularly hard to feel it.

So given what I was feeling, and that brake issues are not uncommon for these trucks, I was almost certain I had warped rotors. But here's what has me a little skeptical. It only happens after I've been driving a while, and now I think I sometimes feel a faint vibration/wobbling sensation in the wheels when I'm not on the brakes. That leads me to believe it could possibly be a wheel bearing instead, but would it be normal to feel it during braking before there are any other symptoms? I'll pull the wheels off tomorrow and have a look, and maybe see if I can get my hands on a dial indicator to do a really good inspection of the rotors.

Any other ideas? I just don't want it to be a more serious suspension issue. It's pothole season around here, and I haven't really been on top of my game when it comes to dodging them. I don't like to mess around with suspension issues. The worst accident I ever had was when a tie rod failed and sent me off into the woods at 50 mph, and to this day I get paranoid about every bump and sound coming from underneath.
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I'm not a mechanic but have had enough front end issues to discuss this issue. It could be several things, I would find a mechanic that you trust to examine the front end. The vibration could be a bearing going bad, worn tie rod, worn end link, or even just something that has worked loose. The braking issue could be low fluid in the master cylinder, a cracked rotor, worn out pads, hair line fracture in a rotor, or a worn out tire. Get it up on a lift and check to see if one of the tires has some threads showing. The treads showing on a tire could be the vibration and the crazy braking.
 
Jameswnh said:
Well, I have a problem that has me a little confused. I think I know what's going on, but something doesn't really add up.

I have an '07 Explorer Sport Trac. Had it since new, and no issues for almost 80k miles. Now though, I think I either have a brake problem, or possibly a wheel bearing problem. I'm starting to feel a pulsation when I get on the brakes. At first I thought it was just normal feedback from the ABS system, but now it's far too severe for that to be the case, and I don't have to stop particularly hard to feel it.

So given what I was feeling, and that brake issues are not uncommon for these trucks, I was almost certain I had warped rotors. But here's what has me a little skeptical. It only happens after I've been driving a while, and now I think I sometimes feel a faint vibration/wobbling sensation in the wheels when I'm not on the brakes. That leads me to believe it could possibly be a wheel bearing instead, but would it be normal to feel it during braking before there are any other symptoms? I'll pull the wheels off tomorrow and have a look, and maybe see if I can get my hands on a dial indicator to do a really good inspection of the rotors.

Any other ideas? I just don't want it to be a more serious suspension issue. It's pothole season around here, and I haven't really been on top of my game when it comes to dodging them. I don't like to mess around with suspension issues. The worst accident I ever had was when a tie rod failed and sent me off into the woods at 50 mph, and to this day I get paranoid about every bump and sound coming from underneath.
Click to expand...

All of your logic seems pretty sound so far. There are several things that this could be, but a good mechanic should be able to tell what it is with a few simple tests. It could also be a combination of several things, and unfortunately you may have to fix the worst problem first to even find what other issues may be present. It seems doubtful that anything major is wrong due to the age and mileage of the vehicle. Getting it checked soon may not only be safer, but may also prevent further component failure caused by whatever is malfunctioning. I hope this helps. Good luck.
 
on top of what the others said, could also be worn shocks. When dad went to replace his shocks a few weeks ago (245K miles on OEM shocks), he found that the right front wheel bearing was bad- we'd just replaced it late last year, so it was waranteed at least.

As the others said, just have somebody look at it on a lift.
 
Hmmm potholes you say. Could be a tire has a broken belt, and it could be a rear tire.

Get it on a lift and go spider monkey on all the front suspension, pulling, hanging etc. 80k could be a ball joint.

Go to your local Chevy dealer and trade it in on a decent truck will ya.:beerbang:
 
Jack the offending wheel off the ground and see if you can move the wheel, if you can its a bearing. Take the tire off and have a good look at the rotor and brake pads. OH, and don't listen to SST55 you got a good truck.
 
be9ak7ts16 said:
Jack the offending wheel off the ground and see if you can move the wheel, if you can its a bearing. Take the tire off and have a good look at the rotor and brake pads. OH, and don't listen to SST55 you got a good truck.
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I did this this morning, and now I'm leaning toward bearings. There was a little play, and it didn't spin as freely as it should. Telltale sings of bearing trouble. I didn't actually take anything apart, but I was able to check the rotors with a dial indicator, and everything checks out. There was .002" difference between maximum and minimum run out, which is within tolerance.

So I'll have a second opinion to be sure, and if it is in fact wheel bearings, I'll have no problem doing the replacement myself. Well I will have one problem, that these things are a lot more expensive than they used to be.

Yeah, I do like this truck though. This is the first non-maintenance work it's required since I bought it, and I'm told 80-100k miles is about what you can expect out of wheel bearings these days. I won't be heading to a GM dealer anytime in the foreseeable future, that's for sure.
 
Sealed hubs,,<insert bad words here>

It's sometimes tough to tell if it's bad. With no weight on the tire it should 'wiggle' just a bit. I used a infrared temp gun to locate the bad one on my daughters Jimmy.

BTW, don't buy the AutoZone or Advanced branded hub. Unless you enjoy replacing them. There's a reason they only give a 3 month guarantee.

Unfortunately if one goes bad the other mighht not be far behind. Good Timken hubs are only around $400+tax and there might be a core charge too,,each.:eek:
 
Jameswnh said:
I did this this morning, and now I'm leaning toward bearings. There was a little play, and it didn't spin as freely as it should. Telltale sings of bearing trouble. I didn't actually take anything apart, but I was able to check the rotors with a dial indicator, and everything checks out. There was .002" difference between maximum and minimum run out, which is within tolerance.

So I'll have a second opinion to be sure, and if it is in fact wheel bearings, I'll have no problem doing the replacement myself. Well I will have one problem, that these things are a lot more expensive than they used to be.

Yeah, I do like this truck though. This is the first non-maintenance work it's required since I bought it, and I'm told 80-100k miles is about what you can expect out of wheel bearings these days. I won't be heading to a GM dealer anytime in the foreseeable future, that's for sure.
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With no weight on the wheel take the wheel at 3 and 9 if there is a lot of play it's the wheel bearing, if you take the wheel at 12 and 6 and there's play it's probably a tie rod or end link.
 
blue92 said:
With no weight on the wheel take the wheel at 3 and 9 if there is a lot of play it's the wheel bearing, if you take the wheel at 12 and 6 and there's play it's probably a tie rod or end link.
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Yep, that's what I did. I wouldn't really call it a lot of play, but it still felt abnormal. Less so at 12-6. Had it raised up and checked over this morning, and can confirm a left front wheel bearing. As SST said, it's usually a good idea to change these things in pairs.

Sealed hubs are a pain, but I did it before on a newer Buick Park Ave, and they say if you can change these things on a post '90s GM vehicle, you can change them anywhere.
 
SST55 said:
Sealed hubs,,<insert bad words here>

It's sometimes tough to tell if it's bad. With no weight on the tire it should 'wiggle' just a bit. I used a infrared temp gun to locate the bad one on my daughters Jimmy.

BTW, don't buy the AutoZone or Advanced branded hub. Unless you enjoy replacing them. There's a reason they only give a 3 month guarantee.

Unfortunately if one goes bad the other mighht not be far behind. Good Timken hubs are only around $400+tax and there might be a core charge too,,each.:eek:
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we get the fed-mog ones at O'Reilly. We had one go bad short though, O'R waranteed it no problem.
 
Jameswnh said:
say if you can change these things on a post '90s GM vehicle, you can change them anywhere.
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Our ram, that's questionable. Even when the wheel turned all the way, the 3/4" wobbly socket only goes on about half of the bolt. We found it easier using a wrench and cheater bar assembly.
 
Jameswnh said:
I wouldn't really call it a lot of play, but it still felt abnormal. Less so at 12-6.
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12-6 is how to check bearings. 3-9 introduces tie rod,center link, pitman arm wear into the 'feel" as you found.

I put 3 in my '96 Buick LaSabre. I use a little Loctite on the attaching bolts,,just because.

Oh, not sure about Furds but be real careful around the ABS components. Unless you want to stimulate the auto parts economy even more.:D

There are just some parts that it's just not worth going for the cheap price. I put 3 autozoners electric fuel pumps in that Jimmy, every 6 months. Finally bit the bullet and went to the dealer, with my discount it was only 30 bucks more,,,,sumbeech. No knock off made in china ball joints,tierods etc either.
 
SST55 said:
12-6 is how to check bearings. 3-9 introduces tie rod,center link, pitman arm wear into the 'feel" as you found.
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Would you believe me if I said I was testing you? ;)

SST55 said:
There are just some parts that it's just not worth going for the cheap price. I put 3 autozoners electric fuel pumps in that Jimmy, every 6 months. Finally bit the bullet and went to the dealer, with my discount it was only 30 bucks more,,,,sumbeech. No knock off made in china ball joints,tierods etc either.
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Yeah, this isn't something I'll be going to the bargain bin for, especially given the fact that nothing auto parts related seems to last as long as it should anymore.
 
Magnethead said:
Our ram, that's questionable. Even when the wheel turned all the way, the 3/4" wobbly socket only goes on about half of the bolt. We found it easier using a wrench and cheater bar assembly.
Click to expand...

My mechanic charged me $78 labor to change the wheel bearing on my Dodge last week. I didn't get any skinned knuckles or say any bad words.
 
It quit being fun 20 years ago.:D Now if it were my Torino or Capri, thats a different story, I like the blood and grease on those vehicles.
 
I have the +-1500 page factory service manuals for both my truck and dad's. Doing the sealed bearings isn't hard, it's just that the tools dont fit in the spaces they provide, unless you make your own tools.
 
Service manuels are good but only as good as the day they were printed. I can log into my buddy's AllData account, I find it better than any Chilton, Mitchell or factory manuel as it's constantly updated.

Great diagnostic format, gives labor time, parts price (dealer) and part number.

I THINK Autozone gives you access if you buy the part from them.
 
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